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The Obama campaign used its vast e-mail list to identify supporters who were professional photographers and then asked them to shoot footage for one of the campaign's most prominent videos.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – It has been well documented about how then-Sen. Barack Obama used the Internet to organize supporters and help raise an historic amount of contributions for his White House run. But few people know that the Illinois Democrat also tapped his vast e-mail list to help gather video footage that was used by the campaign.

Former Obama political aide Chris Royalty said the campaign drilled down into the data collected from supporters to identify people who listed their occupation as "photographer." Once identified, the campaign asked them to shoot footage of fellow supporters holding up signs that read "hope" and "change," and send it to headquarters.

"We knew that if we just posted something on our Web site [asking for footage], there'd be so many thousands to go through that they're be no way to process it," Royalty said last week during a forum at the Center for American Progress.

And it was a success. Some of the footage was included in a video that aired the night Obama was nominated in Denver and again on election night at Chicago's Grant Park.

Related video: Signs of Hope and Change

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Ayers said Friday that Republicans’ attempt to tie Obama to him is a ‘dishonest narrative.’

(CNN) – With the election over, 1960s radical William Ayers emerged Friday for an interview to promote an updated version of his memoir, saying that the Republicans’ attempt to tie him to President-elect Barack Obama was a “dishonest narrative” with the intent of “demonizing” Ayers.

Ayers was interviewed on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America,’ telling anchor Chris Cuomo that he doesn't know Obama any better than “thousands of other Chicagoans” and that “a secret link” between the two men is a “myth.”

Cuomo asked Ayers about describing his relationship with Obama as 'family friends' in the afterward of his book, a relationship he defined Friday as "professional."

“I’m talking there about that fact that I became an issue unwittingly and unwillingly in the campaign and I decided that I didn’t want to answer any of it at that moment because it was such a profoundly dishonest narrative," said Ayers. "I’m describing there how the blogosphere characterized the relationship. I would say, really, that we knew each other in a professional way, again, on the same level as, say, thousands of other people.”

The anti-Vietnam War activist who bombed the Pentagon, Capitol and New York City police headquarters became a household name in the waning weeks of the campaign with Sarah Palin accusing Obama of “palling around with terrorists” and John McCain arguing that the Illinois senator should be pressed further on his relationship with the “unrepentant terrorist.”

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A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll shows a divide between whites and blacks about race relations in the wake of Barack Obama's election as the country's 44th president.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A national poll released Tuesday suggests that for most African-Americans, the election of Barack Obama as president was a dream come true that they didn't think they would see in their lifetimes.

That's how 80 percent of African-Americans questioned in the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey responded; 20 percent disagreed. Among white Americans, only 28 percent called Obama's victory in the race for the White House a dream come true, with the vast majority, 70 percent, saying it was not.

The poll also suggests a racial divide among people who thought a black candidate would be elected president in their lifetimes, with 59 percent of white respondents saying yes, but only 29 percent of black respondents agreeing.

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David Kronmiller will focus on writing and filmmaking now that he doesn't have election polls to check.

(CNN) - When David Kronmiller wakes up and sits down at his computer in the morning, he usually checks the Huffington Post, the Drudge Report, Politico and the polls on RealClearPolitics. But the day after the election, he realized he didn't need to check those polls. There weren't any.

"There is some sadness to that," said Kronmiller, a North Hollywood, California, resident who frequently contributes his views to iReport.com.

Although he supported President-elect Barack Obama since the primaries, the end of the presidential election means he won't have a race to follow anymore.

"I expect serious withdrawal, like, tonight or tomorrow," he said Wednesday.

After two intense years of campaign ups and downs for both major U.S. political parties, the nation has finally settled on a president. Although initially, Obama's victory brings celebrations for supporters, experts say the let-down that voters of each side may feel after the campaign is akin to postpartum depression.

Full story

(CNN) - Watch the final installment of Jennifer Mikell's Trail Mix - a look at the historic week that was as the 2008 presidential race came to an end.

North Carolina had the highest increase in voter turnout, according to a report released Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A new report from American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate concludes that voter turnout in Tuesday’s election was the same in percentage terms as it was four years ago - or at most has risen by less than 1 percent.

Click here to read the entire report.

The report released Thursday estimates that between 126.5 and 128.5 million Americans cast ballots in the presidential election earlier this week. Those figures represent 60.7 percent or, at most, 61.7 percent of those eligible to vote in the country.

“A downturn in the number and percentage of Republican voters going to the polls seemed to be the primary explanation for the lower than predicted turnout,” the report said. Compared to 2004, Republican turnout declined by 1.3 percentage points to 28.7 percent, while Democratic turnout increased by 2.6 points from 28.7 percent in 2004 to 31.3 percent in 2008.

“Many people were fooled (including this student of politics although less so than many others) by this year’s increase in registration (more than 10 million added to the rolls), citizens’ willingness to stand for hours even in inclement weather to vote early, the likely rise in youth and African American voting, and the extensive grassroots organizing network of the Obama campaign into believing that turnout would be substantially higher than in 2004,” Curtis Gans, the center’s director, said in the report. “But we failed to realize that the registration increase was driven by Democratic and independent registration and that the long lines at the polls were mostly populated by Democrats.”

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(CNN) - Watch this retrospective on the nearly two-year presidential campaign that resulted in Sen. Barack Obama becoming the first African-American nominee of a major political party and, then, the nation's first black president-elect.

Stevens at an election night celebration.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) - Sen. Ted Stevens, convicted last month on seven federal corruption charges, held a slight lead Wednesday in his race for re-election, with the outcome still to be determined.

Stevens, who has represented Alaska almost 40 years and is the Senate's longest-serving Republican, was leading with 48 percent of the vote. His opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, had almost 47 percent of the vote.

With 435 of 438 precincts reporting Tuesday night, Stevens led Begich by more than 3,300 votes, 106,351 to 102,998.

But, "there's still a lot to be counted," said Gail Fenumiai, director of Alaska's Division of Elections.

She said more than 40,000 absentee ballots, 9,000 early ballots, and many provisional ballots are yet to be tallied. Officials will try to count them over the next 10 days, she said.

Alaska has no provision for a runoff if no candidate gets at least 50 percent of the vote; whoever gets the most votes wins.

Defeated candidates may ask for recounts.

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Will Chambliss keep his senate seat?

(CNN) – The two major candidates in Georgia's hotly contested Senate race both said Wednesday they Are launching runoff campaigns as votes continued to be counted and neither man held a majority.

At midday, Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss led Democratic challenger Jim Martin, with Chambliss having 1,838,891 votes or 49.9 percent to Martin's 1,721,087 or 46.7 percent. Libertarian candidate Allen Buckley was credited with 3.4 percent of the vote.

"We're in a runoff," Martin said at a news conference. "This race has just begun."

Chambliss also called a news conference to declare, "We've already hit the ground. We're getting ready for the runoff."

A spokesman for the Georgia secretary of state's office said it will likely be next week before election results are finalized and certified statewide.

An unknown number of ballots from members of the military and Georgians overseas were yet to be counted, scattered precincts in the state had yet to report their totals, voters issued provisional ballots for various reasons had until Thursday to resolve their issues and have their votes counted, and at least one major county in the state was still tallying ballots that had been mailed in, said Matt Carrothers of the secretary of state's office.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Obama's election is a clear message Americans are ready for change.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The election of Democratic candidate Barack Obama as president is a clear message that Americans are ready for change, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday.

"The American people spoke out loudly and clearly that they wanted a new direction for America, and they voted in large numbers for change," said Pelosi, D-California.

She praised both Obama and his opponent, Sen. John McCain, for their "unifying" speeches late Tuesday, as well as remarks made by President Bush on Wednesday morning. Those comments are "setting a tone I think we all should follow," she said.

Pelosi said she spoke with Obama Wednesday morning and gave him "congratulations, best wishes and great gratitude for his success."

She said she is pleased with Democratic gains in the House that will enhance Congress' ability to work closely with the president-elect.

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NEW YORK (CNN) – She said she believed Sen. Barack Obama "may have anti-American views." But her views didn't cost Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann her seat in Minnesota's District 6.

She's beat Democratic challenger Elwyn "El" Tinklenberg.

Bachmann made national headlines after she said during a cable television interview that she believed Obama might have anti-American views. Bachmann suggested the news media investigate members of Congress for possibly having the same.

Those comments caused a storm of controversy and gave her once little-known rival fodder for his criticisms of Bachmann and for his fundraising appeals.

NEW YORK (CNN) - "The Hammer" is surely smiling.

Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's old House seat is back in Republican hands.

In Texas' District 22, Democratic Rep. Nicholas Lampson has lost to Republican Pete Olson, a Navy veteran.

Lampson won the seat in 2006 after DeLay resigned under a cloud of scandal. He was known as "The Hammer" for being able to enforce party discipline when it came to getting House Republicans to vote. DeLay held the seat for two decades.

(CNN)–Exit polling shows ninety-five percent of today's voters in Michigan feel the national economy is "not so good" or "poor." They voted for Barak Obama by a margin of 60 percent to 37 percent. Only 4 percent of today's voters in Michigan think the national economy is in good shape. They went 79 percent for McCain. The "excellent" category for the national economy got a zero percent response in Michigan.

Eighty-eight percent of Michigan's voters said the job situation in their area is "worse today." They went for Obama 62 percent to 36 percent. Only 10 percent called it "about the same." Sixty-six percent of these Michigan voters cast ballots for McCain

(CNN) – Updated – Even as Democrats increase their control of the Senate, their eyes are on four crucial Senate races in their increasingly uphill battle to reach a filibuster-proof Senate majority of 60 seats. At this point, the Democrats must win seats in Alaska - where Republican Ted Stevens is running for re-election after being convicted on seven federal corruption charges last month - Georgia, Minnesota and Oregon to get to that crucial number. Georgia requires the winner to get 51 percent of the vote or there will be a runoff.

At this point, the Democrats have increased their majority to at least 56 seats by picking up five seats in Tuesday's elections. In a hotly contested fight in North Carolina, Democrat Kay Hagan, a state senator, ousted Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Cabinet secretary in the Reagan administration. Rep. Mark Udall captured a seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado. In New Hampshire, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen defeated incumbent Sen. John Sununu. That was a rematch of the 2002 race, when Sununu defeated Shaheen.

In New Mexico, Rep. Tom Udall won the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Pete Domenici, a Republican. The projected winner of Virginia's open Senate seat, Democratic former Gov. Mark Warner, will fill the seat of retiring Sen. John Warner, a Republican. The two Warners are not related.

According to CNN's projections, 12 Democrats have kept their seats. They are Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana - who faced a tough re-election bid - Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. Delaware's Democratic governor will appoint a replacement for Biden, who was elected vice president.

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Sen. Barack Obama addresses a crowd of 125,000 people in Chicago, Illinois.

(CNN) - Barack Obama told supporters that "change has come to America," as he addressed the country for the first time as the president-elect.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois.

Watch: Obama calls on Americans

Police estimated that 125,000 people gathered in Grant Park to hear Obama claim victory.

Obama said he was looking forward to working with Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin "to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead."

McCain on Tuesday urged all Americans to join him in congratulating Sen. Barack Obama on his projected victory in the presidential election.

Watch: Jesse Jackson breaks down

"I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face," McCain said before his supporters in Phoenix, Arizona.

"Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much, and tonight, I remain her servant," he said.

McCain called Obama to congratulate him, Obama's campaign said.

Full story

NEW YORK (CNN) - The New York House seat in District 13 was the last Republican seat in New York City. It will switch into the Democratic column.

Democrat Mike McMahon, a lawyer and City Council member for the past eight years, has defeated Republican Robert Straniere.

The race is to replace Republican Congressman Vito Fossella. In May, he was pulled over in Alexandria, Virginia, and accused of drunken driving. Fossella later admitted having an affair and fathering a child out of wedlock.

Amid the scandal, Fossella decided against seeking re-election.

McMahon had been endorsed by Republican-turned-independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

(CNN) – Tuesday, November 4, 2008 will go down as the day America opened its history book, turned the page and started a new chapter of change.

This is truly an historic night - a moment many of us prayed for, marched for, organized for and some even died for. This is not the end of a journey, but the turning of a major page in American history.

If Dr Martin Luther King were alive, he would have cautioned us not to stop praying, not to stop marching, but to keep the dream alive.

As Senator Barack Obama has stated so long ago, change never comes easy. Tonight the people of America will tell the world that they are ready for change and they will back Obama in leading the change.

(CNN) – CNN projects that Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch will defeat Democratic former Rep. Larry LaRocco for the Senate race in Idaho.

Risch will replace retiring senator and fellow Republican Larry Craig, whose arrest in a police sting operation in a Minneapolis airport bathroom made his Senate post one of the most closely watched in 2007.

CNN projections are based on exit poll data from key areas.

(CNN) – CNN projects that Democrat Beverly Perdue will beat Republican Pat McCrory and Independent Mike Munger and take the governor's seat.

CNN's projections are based on partial vote tallies and exit polls in key areas of the state.

Mike Johanns.

(CNN) – CNN projects that former Gov. Mike Johanns, a Republican, will win the Senate seat in Nebraska, replacing Sen. Chuck Hagel who is not seeking a third term.

Johanns, who served as secretary of agriculture under the Bush administration until 2007, will defeat rancher Scott Kleeb, a Democrat.

CNN projections are based on actual results and exit poll data from key areas.